With today’s poling general elections for the 15th Lok Sabha are over [don’t know why they are called general elections, when nothing is general in them]. One last and perhaps the most important development will take place on 16th may when the results will be declared. Everyone wrote a lot about the elections; so much talking was done about the campaigning; all time favourite Mr. Modi, the new emergent Varun Gandhi the routine stuff and some rare as well. So let us also do some talking on the elections.
Low voter turn out like very year! Inspite of election commission’s hyped ‘pappu campaign’ the voter did not left their comfortable homes. Then the extended weekend factor always plays an important role. I don’t understand why the election commission keeps the dates near weekend and not in the middle of the week [to prevent the extended weekend case]? It was a Thursday on all poling dates [April 16th, 23rd, 30th and May 7th] except 13th May [a Wednesday] which saw around 65% poling. One of my friends [who did not vote] said I don’t vote because all are equally bad [this argument comes forth many times]. Obviously he doesn’t know in which Lok Sabha constituency his house comes, who all are contesting, or who belongs to which party. If you know nothing then how can you say all are equally bad? Just a fig leaf to cover our ignorance and laziness I suppose.
It’ll be raining ‘Exit Polls’ from today. With the prohibition on exit polls finishing today all the news channels are flooded with their own results and conclusions. Well I don’t doubt their integrity but most of the time exit polls have a tendency of being on the opposite side of the final mandate. I guess that’s why none is making any explicit declarations this time. Most of them [barring 1 or 2] are predicting a very close finish between the UPA and the NDA; with UPA in lead, but I seriously doubt them.
UPA has an edge! Neither it has anything to do with the exit polls, nor am I saying UPA has performed better. I never understood why parties are so much desperate in getting their choice of President elected when it’s a meager honorary post; until now. The UPA has an edge in forming the government because of the Indian President. Everyone knows that it will be a fractured mandate and none is getting clear majority. In this case who is to be called first for forming the government? Although earlier the single largest party has been called for doing so, but it is not a constitutional obligation and it is on the sole discretion of the president. Everyone knows who the first natural choice of the President will be and once called the battle is already half won.
Who will be the next PM? This is one question which gained a lot momentum this time with NDA and UPA declaring their prime ministerial candidate in advance. With names of Narendra Modi, Mayawati and many more were doing the rounds every now and then. But then at the end of the day who will be it? UPA has an edge but Dr. Manmohan Singh is not exceptable to many. Left has clearly said they will support congress but not Dr. Manmohan Singh [thank God atleast not an appointed PM]. Then who will be it? Some analysts believe that Mr. Sharad Pawar or Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde can have the last laugh. Mr. Shinde is a congressman and Mr. Pawar is an ex. Then these comes along with Shiv Sena’s support [Shiv Sena has said they will support PM from Maharashtra the way they supported Mrs. Pratibha Patil]. The Left should also not have any objection here. But then again it is too early to speculate anything.
By this time on 16th the picture will be a lot clearer. Let us wait and watch who will win this time and let us not do any guessing as Indian voter is very unpredictable.
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